The Bodyguard

29.

1 month earlier

Ace never realized how much of Jasper he saw in his mother. When he looked at Karla, it was like staring at a soul, rather than a person.

The soul that had given him Jasper.

If the circumstances were different, Ace supposed he'd feel gratitude toward her. At first he'd thank her for creating Jasper.

Then he'd curse her for making someone who could so quickly possess his heart — render it useless if not controlled by Jasper and him alone.

Ace noticed the slight upturn of her smile that was almost identical to Jasper's — cunning and deliberate.

The guard had only just recently discovered Jasper's true smile — his true joy.

Seeing her mannerisms, her movements was like watching the person who Jasper had been modeled after.

Ace sat uncomfortably in the chair in front of Karla's desk. His legs were slightly too long for it and the arms could not accommodate him comfortably.

So he fidgeted. In anticipation and also in nervousness. Much like he'd felt the entire way over here.

The morning had came too quickly that day. Another morning where Jasper had left him in order to keep up the facade of a doting, sycophant of a son.

It had worked thus far, as far as they were concerned. The day was always stripped away from them — but the nights.

The nights were theirs.

So when Karla requested him in her office that morning, his mind immediately went to one thing — she'd found out.

Somehow, they'd been sloppy, careless. Maybe a click of the front door at night gave it away, or perhaps it was Jasper's tiredness that wore on him throughout the day, because his nights were spent restless with the guard.

Whatever had given it away — that didn't matter. Because she knew now.

She had to have known. Why else would he be called here on a dime out of the blue? It didn't help that her messages were frustratingly cryptic.

He didn't know why he was here, and as Karla finished up a phone call, her light laughter and cheery responses comforted him only a little, because she seemed to be in a good mood.

Ace had deliberately chosen not to warn Jasper about the meeting. One, because he knew how Jasper would react if he suspected his mom knew about their affair.

Two, on the slight chance that the meeting had nothing to do it that, and Karla was still oblivious, Jasper would've accidentally outed them in defense of their relationship, if you could even call it that.

So Ace bit tongue, and decided to hear Karla out — adhere to whatever she wanted.

Because he didn't want Jasper to panic or feel like anything was his fault.

His mother had faulted him for so much already. And what they had wasn't to be faulted because it wasn't a mistake.

"Thank you, Carmen." Karla stood by the window next to her desk. The tone in her voice signaled the call was coming to an end.

"Yes of course. We'll be in touch."

When she ended the call and turned to face him, she still had a bright expression plastered on her face.

It made Ace nervous because he couldn't tell if she was smiling out of contempt or actual joy.

He gripped the edge of the chair and sat up straighter. He gave her a dim smiled as she sat behind her desk in front of him.